Matthew 4:1-11

1 Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him.2 After Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was starving.3 The tempter came to him and said, “Since you are God’s Son, command these stones to become bread.”4 Jesus replied, “It’s written,People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.”5 After that the devil brought him into the holy city and stood him at the highest point of the temple. He said to him,6 “Since you are God’s Son, throw yourself down; for it is written, I will command my angels concerning you, and they will take you up in their hands so that you won’t hit your foot on a stone.”7 Jesus replied, “Again it’s written,Don’t test the Lord your God.”8 Then the devil brought him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.9 He said, “I’ll give you all these if you bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus responded, “Go away, Satan, because it’s written,You will worship the Lord your God and serve only him.”11 The devil left him, and angels came and took care of him.

At the end of Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness, he is
starving. So not surprisingly, the devil’s first temptation
invites Jesus to turn stones into bread—not only for food but to
prove that he is the Son of God by performing a miracle. Miraculous
food figures in two other...

Loving God, help us to recognize where we too are being tested. Save us by your grace. Amen.

Share on Socials

The texts for Ash Wednesday are all ominous in nature, pointing forward to the redemptive power of God’s grace. Lent is a time when Christians reflect on their mortality and sin, as well as on the creative and re-creative power of God. The original parents of humanity could not resist the seduction of the serpent, but that narrative stands beside the story of Jesus’ lonely and painful resistance to the power of Satan. In Romans, the “one man’s obedience” by which “the many will be made righteous” is the quality that endures. The Joel passage is an alarm bell in the darkness of the night. Those who are caught in this terrible moment cannot hope to save themselves, for they are powerless to do anything on their own behalf. They are powerless to do anything, that is, except to repent and to open themselves to God’s intervening mercy.

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

• Read Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7. What choices have you made that put you outside God’s intention for your life?
• Read Psalm 32. Are there unconfessed wrongdoings in your life that need God’s forgiveness? Will this Lent be a time when you can nd the freedom forgiveness brings?
• Read Romans 5:12-19. Have you experienced a relationship that has died? How has God renewed that time in your life?
• Read Matthew 4:1-11. What has tempted you to set faith aside and to trust only in yourself? How did that work out?